Sweaty Betty Blonde is named after its color, not because it is a blonde or pale ale style. It’s a hefeweizen beer, meaning a wheat beer with the yeast not filtered out.

Because of this, the beer is a hazy golden color, with the yeast providing a bit of earthiness to the typical German wheat beer flavors.

Overall, I would have to say Sweaty Betty is somewhat of a “weiss light” beer. This is more of a distinction, not a criticism.

The banana and clove esters typical of German weissbiers are present, but more subdued. It’s not quite as sweet. The body is a bit thinner, without being watery. It’s not as intensely carbonated. While it has a healthy head, it’s nothing like the huge rocky ones most German examples have.

These factors make Sweaty Betty quite drinkable and refreshing, especially for those who find the German types a little too much. The main comment I hear from people who say they don’t like the style is that they find the beer too sweet.

While I don’t find that at all — I have never had a weissbier that I felt was too sugary — I can see many beer drinkers having that taste experience after years of having typical American mass-produced beers or American-style bitter and hoppy ales.

The strong wheat malt presence is also a factor — the mass-produced beers have little to no malt flavor, while the American-style ales usually bury the malt flavors under intense hoppiness.

However, for those looking for a good thirst quencher with flavors different from the norm, the 5.2% ABV Sweaty Betty fits the bill. Besides the light banana-clove flavor, there also is a bit of lemony and grassy hops, a hint of vanilla and biscuity malt.

While I can see picking up the occasional sixer of Sweaty Betty, I prefer the traditional German examples such as Ayinger, Aventinus, Schneider or Tucher, to name a few.

Sweaty Betty is a year-round offering from Boulder Beer Co., which has wide distribution throughout the U.S. Its Beer Finder link is here.

Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.